The present invention relates to a combination chaise lounge and tote cart and especially to a chaise lounge and tote cart which can be set up as a chaise lounge or as a tote cart and can be folded to a storage position.
Outdoor activities have become increasingly popular and many of these activities take the form of picnics or days at the beach. On these type outings, there is frequently no provision for chairs or lounges so that portable foldable chairs and lounges are brought to the location of the outing. In addition, it is frequently necessary to transport various items, such as coolers, blankets, surfboards, and the like, from an automobile to a desired beach or picnic area. The carrying of the various items including the portable seating and lounge devices may require several people or several trips between the car and the beach. Some of the items, such as a cooler full of beverages and ice, can be of considerable weight and can be hazardous for an individual to tote for a long distance. Foldable chairs and beach lounges are commonly available made out of lightweight aluminum tubular frames having a fabric covering which can be folded for storage or for transportation to an outing location. It has also been suggested to provide foldable chairs and lounges with wheels so that they can be rolled to different locations. These wheeled chairs or lounges can be used for carrying a cooler or other items thereon. However, such wheeled chairs and lounges typically have not provided for toting of large items or a large number of items held in a manner that can be easily reloaded and removed after an outing.
Typical prior art wheeled foldable chairs can be seen in the Buickerood et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,733,905, for a combination chair and cart. A two wheeled vehicle is made to collapse into a retracted position and converts between a two wheeled cart and a chair. It allows one portion of the frame to be used for a handle when used as a cart. Another wheeled chair can be seen in the Palmeri et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,492,347, in which a chair can be mobilized by attaching a pair of wheels mounted to an axle to the legs of the chair and then using the chair back for a handle. The Hicks et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,362,308, is for a combination portable chair and container which has a single roller assembly for rolling the chair and container thereon. The chair converts to a rolling container with sides that can be folded into a compact position for storage.
Wheeled chaise lounges can be seen the Dominko U.S. Pat. No. 4,376,547, which is a lounge chair assembly made convertible by a wheel assembly which clamps onto the lounge chair frame. The Kuchinsky, Jr. U.S. Pat. No. 4,659,142, is for a combination beach caddie and beach chair which has a single roller assembly attached to the frame of a chair in such a manner that a portion of the frame can be used for a handle for pushing the beach chair on the roller. The Snover U.S. Pat. No. 5,040,807, is a combination beach chair and wheelbarrow apparatus which has a single wheel connected to the frame of a beach chair and also allows the frame of the beach chair to act as a handle for pushing the beach chair on the wheel when used as a wheelbarrow. The Wilson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,804, is a folding lounge chair and cart which has a pair of wheels attached to the frame of a folding lounge chair and allows the lounge chair to be extended in a straight position and, when turned over to act as a hand truck. The Mazzarelli et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,693,993, is for a convertible beach tote cart which uses a single roller on one end of the framework while the other end of the framework of the lounge chair can be used as a handle to push the tote cart.
Other folding chairs or folding lounges which have been wheeled for a combination of uses can be seen in the Jackson U.S. Pat. No. 5,364,112, for a wheel assembly for a combination folding chair and cart and in the Deconinck U.S. Pat. No. 4,521,054, for a chaise lounge and in the Wilson et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,804, for a folding lounge chair and cart and in the Spurrier et al. U.S. Pat. No. 5,423,592, for a combination folding lounge chair and wagon. In the Furubotten U.S. Pat. No. 4,645,262, a camp chair converts to a hand truck. Beach cart patents can be seen in the Willette U.S. Pat. No. 4,316,615, and in the Moudrianakis design U.S. Pat. No. 367,347.
The present invention provides a standard folding chaise lounge with a four wheel base which folds up for storage and rapidly converts to a tote cart which is pulled with a handle and which can carry a cooler, a surfboard, towels, and other beach paraphernalia as well as fishing rods, suntan lotion, and the like. The combination chaise lounge and tote cart rapidly converts between a stored position, a pull-type beach cart, and a chaise lounge in which the folding wheels act as a base for the chaise lounge as well as for the wheels for rolling the cart.